Alan B. Gaylor
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Alan B. Gaylor (born August 19, 1926 in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is a Houston businessman best known as the founder of Al's Formal Wear.
Education
Gaylor attended the University of Tulsa on the GI Bill, graduating in 1950 with a bachelor's degree in marketing and accounting. After graduation, he took a job with Acme Brick, who relocated him to Topeka, Kansas. At that time, he and his brother-in-law Al Sankary began talking about going into business together.
Business Interests
In 1957, Gaylor and his wife Lillian opened their first Al's Formal Wear tuxedo shop in downtown Houston, Texas. In 1966, after moving the tuxedo store to a larger location nearby, the Gaylors opened their first Bride 'n Formal store in the original Al's space. Bride 'n Formal offered moderately-priced bridal gowns, bridesmaids' dresses, and formal dresses, and the two businesses created a cross-referral synergy.
Gaylor and Sankary divided the business in 1978, with Gaylor maintaining ownership of the Al's Formal Wear operations based in Houston, while Sankary owned the operations based in the Dallas area. This division occasionally led to some customer confusion, but persisted until 1999 (see below).
In the late 1980s, Gaylor opened a new upscale bridal boutique, Louise Blum, named for his mother. He also began a new line of Ascot Tuxedos stores to expand into the area served by the Al's of Dallas operation. In the early 1990s, Gaylor opened an upscale men's formal wear shop, A.B. Graham, named for his first grandson. He also expanded his bridal business again with Bridal Warehouse, an off-the-rack bridal gown store designed to serve the price shopper. In 1995, Bridal Warehouse and Bride 'n Formal were merged into BridesMart, offering both special-order and off-the-rack bridal shopping in one location. The synergy between the bridal business and the tuxedo business continued, with BridesMart locations typically located near (or even next to) Al's Formal Wear and Ascot Tuxedos locations.
Al's Formal Wear had always been a family business, and 1999 saw the family come together again as Gaylor's Al's Formal Wear of Houston bought the Dallas operation from Sankary. At this point, the combined business included approximately 120 Al's Formal Wear, Ascot Tuxedos, and BridesMart locations in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. By 2006, some consolidation and the spinoff of the bridal division has reduced the number of stores to between 90 and 100.
Gaylor turned the presidency of the company over to his son Stuart in 2001, but he still remains active as chairman of the board and chief executive officer. "I still enjoy the challenge of making the business work," he says (Waller, 1999).
Awards and Recognition
- In 1992, Gaylor was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award.
- In 1995, he was presented with the International Formalwear Association Black Tie Award in recognition of his lifetime contribution to the men's formal wear industry.
Business Philosophy
Gaylor believes that good will, excellent customer service, and effort are vital to business success. "The guy that gets the farthest in the business world is the guy that works the hardest," he says (Waller, 1999).
References
Houston Business Journal, (2000). "Top 50 Family Owned Businesses"
"Black Tie Award Winners". International Formalwear Association. Retrieved 2006-12-08.